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The Structure and Function of Large Biological Molecules Chapter 5
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The Molecules of Life Living things made up of 4 classes of large biological molecules (macromolecules) : 1. Carbohydrates 2. Lipids 3. Proteins 4. Nucleic acids Molecular structure and function are linked Unique, emergent properties
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Macromolecules are polymers, built from monomers polymer -long molecule of many building blocks monomers - single unit Sucrose
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The Diversity of Polymers Each cell has thousands of different macromolecules – built from monomers Macromolecules vary among cells, among species, and between species
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Carbohydrates serve as fuel and building material Carbohydrates = sugars and sugar polymers – Monosaccharides = single sugars Ex. glucose (C 6 H 12 O 6 ) major fuel for cells raw material for building molecules
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Sugars often form rings (in aqueous solution) (a) Linear and ring forms(b) Abbreviated ring structure
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Disaccharide = two sugars Ex. lactose, sucrose, maltose
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Polysaccharides Polysaccharides - polymers of sugars = starch – storage and structural roles The structure and function of a polysaccharide are determined by its sugar monomers and the positions of glycosidic linkages
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Storage Polysaccharides Starch – plants store starch – Glucose polymer Glycogen – Animals store glycogen (glucose polymer) – Humans in liver and muscle cells
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(b) Glycogen: an animal polysaccharide Starch Glycogen Amylose Chloroplast (a) Starch: a plant polysaccharide Amylopectin Mitochondria Glycogen granules 0.5 µm 1 µm Amylose - unbranched Amylopectin - branched Glycogen is more branched than starch
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Structural Polysaccharides Cellulose =component of tough wall of plant cells polymer of glucose (glycosidic linkages differ from starch) The difference is based on two ring forms for glucose:
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Enzymes digest cellulose in some animals – Cows, termites, have symbiotic relationships with microbes that digest cellulose In humans, cellulose is indigestible fiber Mastigophoran, anaerobic, methane
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Chitin in the exoskeleton of arthropods and in fungi The structure of the chitin monomer. (a) (b) (c) Chitin forms the exoskeleton of arthropods. Chitin is used to make a strong and flexible surgical thread. Cicada exoskeleton
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Lipids are hydrophobic Lipids - fats, phospholipids, steroids Triglyceride = 3 fatty acids joined glycerol
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Saturated fats maximum number of H possible (no double bonds) Solid at room T (animal fats) Unsaturated fats one or more double bonds Liquid at room T (plant, fish oils) (a)
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Coronary artery disease associated with diet rich in saturated fats
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Hydrogenation – process of converting unsaturated fats to saturated fats by adding hydrogen – Extends shelf life, prevents oil separation – Ex. margarine, peanut butter
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The good news: Fats store energy (adipose cells) Cell membranes need lipid Lipid cushions and insulates
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Steroids Steroids – – Ex. estrogen, testosterone Cholesterol – Steroid in animal cell membranes – Synthesized in the liver
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Proteins Proteins = more than 50% of dry mass of cells Protein functions – structural support – collagen – pigment - melanin – transport - hemoglobin – cellular communications – movement – defense against foreign substances -antibodies
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Enzymes – All are proteins – catalyst speeds up chemical reactions – reusable – specific to each reaction – essential to life – Heat or chemicals may denature – animation animation
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Polypeptides – polymers built from set of 20 amino acid building blocks – may be a few or thousands long protein – one or more polypeptides – has a function
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Peptide Protein
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Protein Structure and Function proteins consists of one or more polypeptides twisted, folded, and coiled into unique shape A ribbon model of lysozyme (a)(b) A space-filling model of lysozyme Groove
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sequence of aa determines a 3D structure structure determines function Antibody proteinProtein from flu virus
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Four Levels of Protein Structure Primary structure =unique sequence of amino acids 25 20 15 10 5 1
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Secondary structure = coils and folds – helix and pleated sheet – H-bonds β pleated sheet α helix Example: spider silk Strong as steel Stretchy
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Tertiary structure determined by interactions between amino acids – hydrogen bonds – ionic bonds – hydrophobic interactions – disulfide bridges (covalent bonds)
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Tertiary structure
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Quaternary structure two or more polypeptide chains may form one macromolecule ex. hemoglobin activity α Chains β Chains Hemoglobin
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A patient with sickle cell disease
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Denaturation of proteins Denaturation – Loss of protein structure biologically inactive – pH, heat, chemicals
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The Roles of Nucleic Acids Deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) replicates prior to cell division contains codes for proteins (genes)
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Nucleic acids hold a code Gene – unit of inheritance – code for protein primary structure – composed of DNA
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The Structure of Nucleic Acids Nucleotides G,A,T,C building blocks (monomers) – Pyrimidines (cytosine, thymine, and uracil) – Purines (adenine and guanine) (c) Nucleoside components: nitrogenous bases Purines Guanine (G) Adenine (A) Cytosine (C) Thymine (T, in DNA) Uracil (U, in RNA) Nitrogenous bases Pyrimidines
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Ribose (in RNA)Deoxyribose (in DNA) Sugars (c) Nucleoside components: sugars Nucleotides contain sugar DNA deoxyribose RNA ribose (ribonucleic acid)
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DNA Polymers Sugar phosphate backbone
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The DNA Double Helix A DNA molecule has 2 strands that form double helix hydrogen bonds between: – adenine (A) thymine (T) – guanine (G) cytosine (C) DNA replication – Before a cell divides
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DNA, Proteins and Evolution DNA is inherited – Cell to cell – Parent to offspring Closely related species more similar in DNA sequence than more distantly related species – Human/human 99.1 % – Human/chimp 98.5% Molecular biology used to assess evolutionary relatedness
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